


The Mighty Gladers, Together At The End

by XProSkeith



Category: The Maze Runner Series - James Dashner
Genre: Alcohol, Death Cure Spoilers, Friendship, Gen, Male Friendship, Newt Lives, Post-The Death Cure, Spoilers, The Death Cure Spoilers, Thominewt, the ivy trio, the mighty gladers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-11
Updated: 2014-10-11
Packaged: 2018-02-20 18:34:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,886
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2438678
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/XProSkeith/pseuds/XProSkeith
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This story functions on the premise that my alternate ending to The Death Cure (<a href="http://archiveofourown.org/works/2347091">The Cure</a>) happened and contains a brief reference to how Newt survived/was cured.</p><p>It's been about a week since Thomas, Minho, Newt, and the others made it to Paradise. They decide to have a party to relax and celebrate. While everyone else is busy at the main camp, Thomas, Minho, and Newt break away to finally get some time to hang out and talk with each other. Something they haven't really gotten the chance to do in a long time. They bond and reflect on things over alcohol and a bonfire. Gally makes a surprise appearance as well.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Mighty Gladers, Together At The End

A few days had passed, almost a week, since they’d made it to paradise. Thomas, Minho, and Newt were still amazed at how close they’d come to losing each other, although they had all lost much. Yet here they were. The mighty gladers, after everything that had been thrown at them, were together again. And with a good number of their friends to boot.

The three of them had been working hard to get everyone organized so they could start building some shelters and getting things set up. Minho really took the brunt of the leadership demands. He knew Thomas and Newt were exhausted and drained, so he did his best to make it easier on them. That being said, Thomas and Newt made sure he didn’t overwork himself. Neither of them could stand idly by anyway. After all, the first rule of the Glade had always been “Do your part.”

Gally had been a huge help to them as well. He knew how to design, build, and construct things and he really was a good leader. Thanks to him, they were able to get group shelters set up until they could start making smaller individual dwellings for people. Gally also took to teaching as many people as he could how to build a fire and safely tend to it.

All in all, things were beginning to come together. There was still a lot to do, but they’d already made great progress in such a short time. That’s when Thomas proposed an idea.

“Why don’t we have a party,” said Thomas.

“What?” asked Minho and Newt in unison, giving him a confused expression.

“You know,” said Thomas. “Like a bonfire or something with some food and drinks. Kind of give everyone a rest day. A day to have fun.”

“Tommy, I’m not sure we have extra time to waste,” said Newt.

“Newt, we’re literally at the end of the world with nothing else going on,” said Thomas. “I think we have time.”

“He’s got a point,” said Minho, his trademark smirk forming on his face.

“I suppose it would let everyone relax,” said Newt, reconsidering things. “It’d probably improve morale, too.”

“Exactly!” said Thomas. “Besides, I think we could all use a day to relax and kind of sort through things, don’t you think? We haven’t really had any downtime since we got here.”

“Alright, well, let’s try and do this tomorrow,” said Minho. “Shouldn’t be too hard. We’ve been able to gather a good bit of food on top of what Ava left for us here.”

“Good that,” said Newt. “Tommy and I’ll start getting things we need together. You handle organizing and telling everyone, Minho.”

“Good that,” replied Minho. “I’ll get these shanks moving.”

The three of them split up to take care of their rspective jobs. By nightfall, they’d gotten most of it organized and ready to go. Tomorrow they’d just have to put things together and then just have fun. Thomas had even managed to convince Gally to build a big bonfire for it and Frypan had agreed to try and whip up something special for the occasion.

The next day, the excitement was palpable. Everyone was buzzing around excitedly and working quickly to get things set up. Once everything was ready to go, everyone just kind of hung out and relaxed. When night started to fall, Gally, Thomas, Newt, Minho, Brenda, and Teresa lit the bonfire by throwing small torches into it. Everyone cheered as the flames raced over the bonfire, illuminating the entire encampment. Drinks and food were readily passed around. People were dancing, talking, cheering, and making music. All the old Gladers were having a great time together, almost as if nothing had happened.

Thomas, Minho, and Newt stood back a little bit, surveying their handiwork. They smiled seeing that everyone was having a good time. Thomas patted his two best friends on the back and they turned to look at him.

“Come with me,” said Thomas. “I’ve got something special for us.”

Newt and Minho shrugged and followed Thomas without question, each grabbing a torch on their way. He led them away from the camp and into the woods a little bit. Before long, they came across a clearing where a smaller bonfire had been built. There was food, cups, and a couple of bottles of something sitting next to the fire.

“Thought we could use sometime to relax ourselves,” said Thomas.

“You’re bloody brilliant, Tommy,” said Newt.

“He’s still the shuckiest shuckface to ever shuck,” teased Minho.

“Yeah, well, I thought it’d be fun,” retorted Thomas. “Wanna light it up?”

With a quick nod to each other, the three of them threw their torches into the fire, lighting it immediately. Newt poured them each a cup of whatever was in the bottle and they each grabbed some food from the stash Thomas had brought.

“What is this?” asked Minho.

“Bottle says it’s whiskey,” said Newt. “40% alcohol. Strong stuff.”

“Guess we’ll found out,” said Thomas.

They clinked their cups together and took a big gulp of the whiskey. Newt was right. It was some strong stuff and that big gulp burnt on the way down.

Thomas coughed a bit on it and Minho and Newt couldn't help but laugh at him. Thomas rolled his eyes and took another swig. This time he swallowed it without coughing.

"Atta boy!" cheered Minho.

"Cheers, Tommy!" said Newt.

They clinked cups again and took one more swig before finally taking a seat around the fire. The straight whiskey was already starting to hit them. Their heads were starting to swim a little bit, but they also felt something they hadn’t felt in a long time. Relaxed. They were a good bit from the main camp, but they could still hear the noise of the party.

“It’s been a long time since we’ve been able to do something like this,” said Thomas.

“Not since the Glade,” said Minho. “It seems like a lifetime ago.”

“It really does,” said Newt. “It’s actually really great to get to do something like this. I can sit down and talk to you two shanks without having to worry about one or all of us dying.”

“Good that, you shuckface,” smirked Minho.

“We really have been running for our lives for so long now. It’s hard to believe it’s all over,” said Thomas.

“It’s about bloody time,” said Newt. “We went through hell.”

“I’m pretty sure the scorch was hell,” said Minho.

“Close enough,” laughed Thomas.

The three continued to sip on their drinks as they reflected on the good times they had in the Glade and their adventures together. It really had been one hell of a ride.

“There were some good times and we’ve made it here now,” said Thomas somberly. “But we’ve lost a lot.”

“Yeah,” said Newt quietly. “We have.”

“Dwelling on them won’t do any good,” said Minho. “We’ll never forget them. Alby, Chuck, Winston, Jack, and all the others. But they wouldn’t want us moping around like a bunch of shuckfaces after we finally made it.”

“Yeah, you’re right,” said Thomas.

“I’ll drink to that,” said Newt. “To everyone we’ve lost. Gone, but never forgotten.”

The three of them raised their glasses up before taking another big swig of whiskey.

“What we should focus on is what we have now,” said Minho. “I know I’ve got my two best friends with me and that means a lot. Especially you, Newt. We almost lost you.”

“Yeah, well, I was about ready to kick it,” said Newt. “Guess we got lucky when that shuck scientist found me and Tommy.”

“I’m glad he did,” said Thomas.

“Trust me, I’m bloody glad, too, Tommy,” said Newt.

“Like I said, I’m just happy you’re both here,” said Minho, his drunkenness becoming a tiny bit apparent in his speech although it had begun to show in all of them. “I’m not sure what I’d do if I lost either of you.”

“Well, now you’ll never find out,” said Newt, a smile crossing his face.

“Good that,” said Thomas. “Enough of that klunk though. We’re supposed to be relaxing and having a good time.”

“I don’t know about you, but I’m having a pretty great time,” said Minho with a goofy looking smile on his face.

“You might want to slow down there,” said Newt, cocking an eyebrow at him.

“Nah, I’m good, man,” replied Minho.

They heard a rustling in the woods nearby. Someone or something was coming. The three of them looked in the direction of the noise, tensing a bit in apprehension. A moment later, Gally entered the clearing.

“Gally?” said Minho. “What’re you doing here?”

“Um…” started Gally, looking and sounding rather awkward. “I saw you shanks head off this way a while back. Thought I’d come check on you. Mind if I join you?”

Thomas, Minho, and Newt all looked at each other. Minho and Newt looked a little unsure about it, but Thomas turned to look at Gally and smiled.

“Yeah, have a seat, man,” said Thomas, offering him one of the whiskey bottles. “Pour yourself a drink.”

“Thanks,” said Gally, a small smile finding its way onto his face as he took the bottle from Thomas.

Gally took a big swig from the glass he had just poured for himself. He didn’t even flinch from it.

“So, why’d you follow us, Gally?” asked Minho.

Gally looked straight at Minho and said, “Look, I know things have always been tense between us. I want to change that.”

“And how do you plan to do that?” asked Newt.

“You shanks know the Gladers, even you three, are my family, right?” asked Gally. “I never wanted anyone to die or get hurt. I just wanted to protect them.”

“You could have gone about it better,” said Minho a bit tersely.

“You know,” said Thomas. “We really never listened to him. I bet that’s one thing that really ate at him.”

“It is,” said Gally.

“But if we had listened to him, we’d all be dead or still stuck in the bloody maze,” said Newt.

“I know,” said Gally. “I understand that now.”

“We’ve all done things we’re not proud of or that we regret,” said Thomas. “What matters is where we are now. Gally’s been through hell, too. A different hell than us, but still hell. But, above all, he chose us in the end. He chose the Gladers.”

Minho smirked and said, “Good that.”

“Right. Well, that does say a lot,” said Newt. “Besides, we’re going to need all the friends and help we can get to get this place going.”

“And I want to help,” said Gally. “I chose my family, the Gladers, and I’ll never regret that. But I need you shanks to be okay with me.”

“I think we can do that,” said Minho.

“Yeah,” agreed Newt.

“We’re going to need your help, Gally. You’ve already done a lot, but there’s still a lot to do,” said Thomas. “We’re glad you’re here with us.

“Good that,” said Gally. “We’ll get this place up and running in no time. Just like we did back in the Glade.”

“We’ve got the others to help, too,” said Newt. “Frypan’s still the best cook we have, the other Gladers who made it are all ready and willing to help, and those girls from group B seem to know what they’re doing, too.”

“To the mighty Gladers, then!” exclaimed Minho, raising his freshly filled glass. “All of us. We always survive and make it work in the end.”

“Who’s the shuckface now?” asked Thomas, teasing Minho a bit.

“Still you, Greenie!” replied Minho.

“So this is what we have to work with?” asked Gally.

“Seems so,” replied Newt, shaking his head. “Looks like we have our bloody work cut out for us.”

“Yeah,” said Gally, finding himself smiling in spite of himself.

“We can still hear you!” said Minho. “Now get over here and let’s finish that toast I made.”

Newt and Gally shook their heads as they clinked their glasses with Thomas and Minho. They all drank deeply before taking their seats again. They drank and laughed for a while longer, Eventually, the topic of what had happened to Gally after the maze came up.

“Well,” said Gally. “When I first woke up, everything hurt, especially my face.”

Thomas grimaced, knowing that he was the one that had inflicted those wounds and pain on Gally. Gally noticed.

“Slim it, Thomas,” he said. “What’s done is done and, honestly, after what I did to Chuck, I deserved it.”

Thomas just stared at Gally in silence.

“Anyway, WICKED’s shuck doctors fixed me up as best they could,” continued Gally. “Not long after they gave me back my memory and left me to rot in that room.”

“They just left you there?” asked Minho. “Sounds like WICKED.”

“They gave me three meals a day, but yeah. Other than that, it was just me and my thoughts,” answered Gally.

“I’d probably have gone crazy,” said Minho.

“I think I can relate,” said Thomas, remembering his phase three trial.

“How’d you get out though?” asked Newt.

“A spy for the Right Arm showed up to deliver my meal one day. He told me I could get thrown out if I started acting crazy. They’d take care of the rest,” said Gally.

“I remember Jorge told us he saw you running down the halls naked and screaming,” said Thomas.

Gally smirked and said, “Yeah, that was my last big show. I was shipped out the next day and the Right Arm came for me. Been working with them until we got here.”

“What were you doing for them?” asked Newt.

“Mainly providing intel and information on WICKED, but eventually they gave me more responsibility until I got to be Vince’s right hand man,” replied Gally. “But I always kept an eye out for any news about you shanks. I still wanted to find all of you.”

“Well, you did find us,” said Thomas. “Definitely sounds like you had a rough time, too.”

“Yeah,” said Minho. “Guess it really wasn’t easy for you after the maze.”

“The worst part was being trapped in WICKED,” said Gally. “Felt like I was going crazy in there. I leapt at the first chance to get out.”

“I don’t blame you,” said Newt. “If we could’ve found another way out of WICKED’s clutches sooner, we’d have taken it.”

“At least we’re all here now,” said Thomas.

“Don’t go getting too sappy, Thomas!” said Minho as he tossed a folded up blanket at Thomas’ head, nailing him.

“Hey!” shouted Thomas in surprise and mock hurt.

The four of them devolved into drunken laughter. Once they finally stopped laughing, they continued to drink and talk.

Eventually, they realized they were getting sleepy and that it was getting late. They’d managed to finish all three bottle of whiskey that Thomas had brought, so they were pretty drunk now, too. Gally stood up.

“Someone should make sure they actually put out that fire,” said Gally. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

“Good that,” said Thomas, his eyes drooping a bit. “We’ll all leave when you get back.”

With a nod, Gally was off. Thomas, Minho, and Newt sat really close to each other next to the fire. Thomas and Newt leaned onto Minho as they tried to stay awake.

“And here I thought I was the drunk one,” laughed Minho.

“Slim it, Minho,” said Newt sleepily. “We’ve all had a lot of bloody whiskey.”

“Yeah, man,” said Thomas. “We’re just tired is all.”

Minho threw his arms around his best friends’ shoulders and said, “Nah, y’all are just a bunch of shuckfaces.”

Thomas was about to object, but Minho pulled the three of them backwards. A moment later, they were all lying on their backs, looking at the stars with their heads resting on Minho’s arms. It had gotten really quiet. Things back at the camp must have died down as well.

“What was that for?” asked Thomas.

“The stars look awesome,” said Minho drunkenly. “Also, I was feeling tired, so I figured we should all lay down.”

“But we have to get back up when Gally gets back,” said Thomas.

“We can rest a bit before her does,” said Minho.

“Good that,” said Newt. “Night, Tommy. Minho.”

“Yeah, good night, guys,” said Thomas.

“It definitely was a good night,” said Minho.

Gally returned to the clearing a few minutes later. He found Thomas, Minho, and Newt passed out next to each other. Gally rolled his eyes and grabbed one of the big blankets that Thomas had brought to the clearing. He threw it over them so they wouldn’t get too cold overnight and then he doused the fire. As Gally walked towards the edge the clearing, he stopped and looked back at the three of them passed out on the ground together and smiled. He was back with his friends, his family, and he was happy for that.

“Thanks, Thomas,” said Gally quietly, knowing that Thomas couldn’t hear him.

Gally turned and walked back to the camp, leaving the three to rest in peace. He’d come back in the morning to check on them. Thomas, Minho, and Newt slept soundly and peacefully until the morning finally came.


End file.
